1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 181 Food and Medicine in Full Swing
Night fell like a curtain, covering the daytime hustle and bustle, and the already martial law-bound city of Maping in Liuzhou was unusually quiet.

Under the cover of cold mist along the Liujiang River, and by the moonlight, one could vaguely see the shadowy figures near Jingnan Gate along the river in Mapingcheng.

Qin Dingsan's personal guards were carrying bags of grain and barrels of gunpowder onto the boats, heading toward the eighty or so longboats waiting in the middle of the river.

As it was their first transaction, both parties were extremely cautious.

Qin Dingsan was wary of the Left Army taking advantage of the cover of night to launch a night raid into the city when the Jingnan Gate was open.

Luo Dagang and Qiu Zhongliang were wary of Qin Dingsan mixing sand into the grain bags and gunpowder vats.

After the transaction was completed, Qin Dingfen handed over 8,750 taels of silver to Zhou Fengqi after counting the money: "The price offered by Duanmao is 2.5 taels per shi of grain. General Zhou, I have delivered the silver to you. Don't forget to set the granary on fire later."

"I know, General Qin, don't worry," Zhou Fengqi replied casually.

Although Qin Dingsan negotiated the deal, it was a matter that could cost him his head, and they wanted to drag Zhou Fengqi down with just over eight thousand taels of silver.

Zhou Fengqi always felt that Qin Dingsan was somewhat unethical.

Two taels and five mace per shi was the market price. Qin Dingsan wouldn't be foolish enough to take such a big risk by selling grain to the short-haired cult bandits at the market price.

Zhou Fengqi was extremely annoyed.

Damn it! If I had known that the short-haired cult bandits were so trustworthy, I should have negotiated this deal myself, instead of letting that bastard Qin Dingsan take all the benefits.

As dawn approached, Luo Dagang and Qiu Zhongliang watched a plume of smoke rise from Maping City and boarded a fleet of longboats laden with grain and gunpowder, heading towards Luorong County.

Upon returning to Luorong County, Qiu Zhongliang went straight to the county government office to apologize to Peng Gang.

“I have failed in my duties. Not only did I only manage to purchase 7,000 shi of grain, but I also took it upon myself to agree to exchange 500 shi of gunpowder for the feigned defeat of our army. I have failed to live up to your expectations, General. Please punish me.”

After all, it was a case of acting first and reporting later. There was no precedent for acting first and reporting later in the Left Army. Qiu Zhongliang was not clear about Peng Gang's attitude towards acting first and reporting later, so he apologized to Peng Gang first.

“I understand the whole story. You’ve acted unconventionally and flexibly, and you’ve handled this matter very well,” Peng Gang said, putting down his pen.

He encouraged his subordinates to give full play to their initiative, but if they were bound by precedents and rules from the very beginning, they would be too constrained to achieve great things.

This Qiu Zhongliang is mediocre at leading troops into battle, but he is a master at negotiating and doing business, and his emotional intelligence is much higher than his father's.

"Qin Dingsan not only wants our Left Army's weapons and uniforms, but also our flags and banners. Should we give them to him or not?" Qiu Zhongliang asked calmly.

Those in positions of power often say one thing and mean another. Qiu Zhongliang did not become complacent because of Peng Gang's praise, and remained very humble.

Before joining Peng Gang's team, Qiu Zhongliang often referred to Peng Gang as his senior.

After joining Peng Gang's school, Qiu Zhongliang never addressed Peng Gang as "senior" again, nor did he refer to himself as Peng Gang's junior.

Whether in public or in private, he always acts like a subordinate.

"Since you've promised, then you should keep your word. A person should keep their promises," Peng Gang said after a moment of contemplation.

"We definitely can't give the main army's flag to Qin Dingsan. When we leave Luorong County, we'll leave him a few old flags from the Boys' Camp, Women's Camp, and Old Men's Camp."

To prevent them from getting separated during the transfer and to facilitate management, the non-combat camps, such as the children's camp, the women's camp, and the old men's camp, also had their own flags.

Leaving some flags of non-combat units for Qin Dingsan would not be a big deal.

"Qin Dingsan also demands that we feign an attack on Maping City, to play along with his act," Luo Dagang inquired. "Should we send troops to feign an attack on Maping City?"

"Sending two battalions will suffice," Peng Gang said with a slight nod.

The Zuo Army would greatly benefit from cooperating with Qin Dingsan to achieve this deal of military merit.

With confirmed battle achievements to be earned, the probability of Qin Dingsan launching a surprise attack on the non-combat units of the Left Army would be greatly reduced.

After saying this, Peng Gang got up and left his official seat, and went to the Luoqing River to inspect the grain and gunpowder he had obtained from Qin Dingsan.

Most of the grain is new rice from the last two years, with some old rice, but less so.

As for the gunpowder in the gunpowder vat, the sealant at the mouth of the vat had long since broken, and the mouth of the vat was hastily covered with rags and straw ropes.

When Peng Gang lifted the lid, he saw that the gunpowder inside the vat was grayish-brown and mixed with small crystals, fine grass clippings, and coal slag-like impurities.

The nitrate powder, which should have been jet black and fine, turned white or gray and mostly formed clumps.

Peng Gang tried to grab a handful and rub it together; surprisingly, he could squeeze out moisture, and black mud-like marks floated between his fingers, resembling rotten powder. Charcoal powder should be crisp and light, but the gunpowder in the vat contained many coarse, unground flakes, and the sulfur granules were unevenly yellow, some of which had oxidized, as if they had been shoveled from the scraps of a pharmacy.

Upon closer inspection, the stench was a mixture of sour and foul odors, far from the pungent and refreshing gunpowder produced by the Zuo Jun Arsenal.

Within the limits of his capabilities and circumstances, Peng Gang will use the best materials possible to manufacture munitions.

Taking the charcoal used to make gunpowder as an example, Zuo Jun made his own gunpowder using willow charcoal with uniform fibers.

The gunpowder used by the Qing army was clearly made from mixed charcoal.

The fact that they're skimping on such a cheap raw material as charcoal shows just how corrupt the pro-independence camp has become.

"I checked the gunpowder when it was delivered, and it's always like this. Qin Dingsan said that the gunpowder in Maping City is all like this, and it's only taken out and mixed on the spot when it's needed," Qiu Zhongliang explained to Peng Gang in a low voice.

"I thought that since Liuzhou Prefecture was a military stronghold in Guangxi, the quality of its gunpowder would be better than in other places. I was wrong." Peng Gang clapped his hands to remove the sticky, inferior gunpowder.

"This kind of gunpowder cannot be used directly. It must be sent to the arsenal, where the craftsmen will be responsible for drying it to remove moisture. After drying, it will be sorted using silk sieves, and the good ones will be used."

The quality of the gunpowder was somewhat subpar, but the total amount was still considerable. Even if only 30% of the gunpowder was screened out and immediately usable, there would still be 150 shi (a unit of dry measure).

With this gunpowder, we will have more confidence in attacking the city.

No more meticulously counting gunpowder before firing cannons.

Although the Tusi (chieftain) stronghold of the Luo Rong Mo clan was dangerous, it relied on heavy artillery.

Li Qi, Chen Xuyuan, and Xiao Maoling launched a fierce attack for six days, and after suffering 68 casualties, they still managed to capture the Mo Clan's stronghold and obtain its supplies.

They said they launched a fierce attack for six days, but in reality, they only fought for three days.

The Mo clan chieftain's mountain stronghold was located deep in the mountains, and three out of the six days were spent preparing for the cannon-firing.

As a famous chieftain family in Liuzhou Prefecture and the largest household in Luorong County, the Mo family had more grain reserves than Peng Gang had estimated.

A rough count revealed that the Mo family's granary held over 6,800 shi of grain, almost matching the amount Peng Gang had purchased from Ma Pingcheng.

After capturing the Mo family chieftain's stronghold, Zuo Jun's work of confiscating property and requisitioning grain from Luo Rong was nearing its end.

With grain, salt, and gunpowder, the next step was naturally to head north into the heart of Guangxi, where the provincial capital is located: the Guilin Basin.

The only remaining obstacle to the Left Army's advance into Guilin was the county seat of Yongfu County.

For the Qing army, Yongfu County was the last line of defense for Guilin.

Yongfu County is located on the left bank of the Luoqing River, controlling the waterway of the Luoqing River.

If you want to use the Luoqing River waterway to advance north into the Guilin Basin, Yongfu County is a city you can't bypass.

Luo Dagang stayed behind for a long time, and few Qing troops dared to pursue the left wing camp.

Therefore, since the battle against Zhang Bilu, Luo Dagang has not fought a proper battle.

Luo Dagang couldn't contain himself and wanted to be a pioneer this time.

In fact, being a pioneer is Luo Dagang's original profession.

Historically, Luo Dagang served as a vanguard in the early battles of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

However, in the past year, Peng Gang has personally led the troops in most of the major battles, large and small, of the Left Army, leaving Luo Dagang, the deputy commander of the Left Army, to stay in the rear to cover the rear.

Peng Gang's accumulated military achievements are now enough to convince the public, and Peng Gang is willing to give Luo Dagang the opportunity to return to his old profession as a vanguard.

After nearly a year of fighting, it's time to take a break and catch our breath.

Previously, Lu Qin, who was in charge of attacking Luzhai Town, was stationed in Luzhai Town with the First Battalion, the Provisional Eleventh Battalion, and the Pishan Artillery Company to collect grain.

Peng Gang ordered Luo Dagang to lead the Fifth and Sixth Battalions, along with half a heavy artillery company, to attack Yongfu County from the north, together with the troops stationed in Luzhai Town.

As for the mission of feigning an attack on Maping City, it was assigned to Li Qi with the Second Battalion, the Provisional Eighth Battalion, and half of a heavy artillery company.

(End of this chapter)